Vegan Food for Dogs: Dry Packaged Food & Home-Cooked Food Recipes 

We all live in a world where if we don’t start thinking about the planet’s sustenance and the environment now, we all might perish eventually and leave nothing for our future generations. Some environmentalists are also of the opinion that our future generations may not survive such a catastrophe and get to see the light of day. This precise reason is why many humans have converted to a diet that doesn’t opt for any kind of animal exploitation and essentially focuses on plant-based nutrition for survival and that, my friend, is what we call Veganism. 

Most of them hope that their beloved dogs will follow the same diet if they aren’t opposed. However, many people don’t know where to find this kind of Vegan dog food or how to cook some at home. 

Well, we have decided to rescue you from your predicament. Read further and find out how. 

First of all, let us talk about why we should choose veganism.

What Is Vegan Food and Why Should We Choose It?

For those who aren’t well-versed with the concept; A Vegan diet essentially means not consuming any kinds of animals or their by-products. Three main reasons why one should choose this diet are :

1. Moral: Killing any being is just a tough thing to witness. Moreover, the way it is done is also inhuman as many animals are tortured incessantly and killed for meat; hence, the need for Veganism. It helps you with your conscience, and a little goodness never did hurt anybody. 

2. Environmental: Animal agriculture leaves a considerable carbon footprint, and that alone should be reason enough to quit eating meat. 

In India, most of the population already follows a vegetarian diet, so it might be easy for us to adopt a vegan diet, given the wide variety of options available in the vegetarian lifestyle.

3. Health: Opting for a vegan diet is right for your pet’s health because it is not rich in fat, and it also keeps our weight in check - so that becomes a win-win

Can Dogs Eat Vegan Food?

Many people think we humans might be well-equipped to handle a vegan diet, but can dogs lead a healthy lifestyle with its help? 

The answer is, yes, they indeed can! With the right kind of ingredients and supplements, of course. There is a misconception that dogs are inherently carnivorous as they have descended directly from wolves - but that isn’t necessarily true. Yes, dogs are the descendants of wolves. Still, unlike their carnivorous predecessors, dogs have adapted quite favourably to an omnivorous diet due to evolution. Able to digest quite a lot of plant-based products since they need enzymes to digest both plants and meats, which is why they can surely opt for a vegan diet if they choose to eat it. They do need taurine, a type of amino acid present in raw meat that helps them digest such foods easily, but that can also be derived from plants.

Packaged Vegan Dog Food Options: 

There are a lot of brands that cater to vegan dog food products, and here is a list of the same to help you out, in case you choose a vegan diet for your dog:

Benevo Vegan Dog Food: 

This company makes excellent vegan food for puppies and adults, and they come in two variants: dry and wet food. These products already have plant-based taurine and use no preservatives of any kind. They also have some fantastic potato and rumple vegetarian sticks that would be excellent treats/snacks/nibbles for your pooch. 

Ami Dog Vegan Food: They make 100% plant-based vegetarian/vegan food and have two variants - dry and wet food. They also have some fantastic vanilla cookies and chew bones that your cute dog will drool for!

Wild Earth: 

Wild Earth makes the most crunchy and flavoursome vegetarian kibbles. They also have vegetarian supplements specially catering to the hips & joints problems, digestion & immunity boost, and the skin & coat enhancement of your dogs. We're sure that their peanut butter koji treats will be gobbled up in an instant.  

Halo Vegan Pet Food: 

This company offers some delicious wet and dry food cruelty-free products that are made with really healthy plant-based ingredients like pumpkin, carrots, sweet potatoes, quinoa, etc. 

Organic Food Items That are Vegan: 

If you want your dog to have a vegan diet, these are the food items that can be incorporated into his diet:

Vegetables: Spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, green peas, green beans, lettuce, kale, cauliflower, celery. 

Legumes and cereals: Quinoa, lentils, brown rice (in moderation), oats, chickpeas, and beans (in moderation as these may give your dog flatulence).

Fruits: Blueberries, apples, bananas, papaya, peaches, pears, cucumbers, watermelon (without the seeds)

Home-cooked Vegan Dog Food Recipes: 

Dogs love sugarless natural peanut butter, and you can use it in all of the recipes as a condiment or as is. Today we will share the recipe of a vegetable stew and two fantastic dog treats that are both healthy and delicious for your four-legged boo, as well as super easy to make. 

1. Vegetable Stew:

Ingredients: 

Quinoa or Brown Rice: 2 cups

Vegetable stock: 3 cups

Sweet Potatoes: 2 (Diced)

Carrots: 2 (Diced)

Green peas: Half Cup

Cauliflower: 6-7 Florets 

Sugarless Organic Peanut Butter: 4 tbsp

Method: 

• Mix all the ingredients in a pressure cooker or a large casserole and boil them till everything is cooked and tender to the touch. 
• You can use a considerable dollop of this porridge with your dry food so that your dog enjoys his meals exponentially. 
• Adding taurine and other supplements to the food as per the vet’s recommendation will provide a complete meal to your dog. 

1. Dehydrated Sweet Potato or Carrots as treats for your dog

Method:

• Cut sweet potatoes and dry them with paper towels. (Thickness- ½ cm each)
• Spread them on parchment paper and preheat your oven at 250 degrees C.
• Pop these in the over for 2-3 hours and keep checking on them from time to time. 
• Once done, leave them on a plate to cool down completely. Once cooled sufficiently, pack potatoes/carrots in a jar, and refrigerate them.

1. Frozen Fruit Treats for your dog:

Ingredients:

Frozen Blueberries: 1 Cup

Frozen Bananas: 2 (Diced)

Frozen Papaya: 1 Cup (Diced)

Frozen Apple: 2 (Diced)

Frozen Peach: 2 (Diced)

Peanut Butter: to taste

Method: 

• Grind all the fruits either individually or with Bananas in a mixer. 
• Add peanut butter to them as per your taste.
• Pour these into fun-shaped molds and keep them in the freezer. 
• Give it to your pet after walks as a refreshing and cold treat.

Conclusion:

Vegan food has a vast array of benefits, and introducing it into your dog’s diet would surely benefit him. Consuming a lot of plant-based and raw foods would keep your pups from getting obese and surely make him active and lively (and isn’t that precisely what we want for them)

We hope you liked our recipes, and we would encourage you to surely try them at least once, and see if your dog likes it too. These easy recipes will help your dog adapt to this kind of diet quickly, and maybe your entire family can opt for a vegan diet as well.

Let us know if your dog liked these recipes and if you have any favourite ones that you’d love to share with all the dog parents out there - you can submit them on our website.